Five of a Kind

What is ‘Five of a Kind’?

Five of a Kind is the strongest possible hand in certain games of Poker. In the standard rules of most popular formats, such as Omaha and Texas Hold'Em, a Five of a Kind is not possible since each deck of cards contains only four cards of each kind. However, in certain variants, Jokers are included as a wildcard, which may be used to make five of a kind if the player has four other cards of the same rank.

‘Five of a Kind’ Explained

Five of a Kind is an extremely rare hand in these other variants of Poker, although there are two main sets of rules for how a Five of a Kind can be achieved. Sometimes, the Joker acts as a wildcard which can substitute for an Ace, but only if the player has four other Aces. It cannot be used to make five of a kind for cards of any other rank. In these rules, the Joker may also be used to complete straights, flushes, and straight flushes.However, in some variants, the Joker is simply allowed to act as any card in the deck of the player's choosing. In this case, it is possible to have Five of a Kind of other ranks beside Aces - for example, five queens or five sevens. Standard hand ranking for four of a kind, three of a kind and pairs applies in this situation: so, for example, Five of a Kind - Queens would be a higher ranking hand than Five of a Kind - Sevens.In most variants of poker, however, a five of a kind is not a legitimate hand and is impossible to obtain. Thus, the highest possible hand is ordinarily the Royal Flush (the highest possible straight flush).